Traditional Riad with Plunge Pool
In the Historic Medina
Bed and Breakfast (sleeps up to 11)
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Dating back to around 1750, Riad Porte Royale has five bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. Restored by master craftsmen, traditional finishes enhance the clean, 'zen' lines. In the luminous courtyard, the plunge pool mirrors the dramatic portico and the ancient 'porte royale.' A single grapefruit tree adds to a sense of harmony and tranquillity. Textiles, rugs, and objets d'art from the old caravan routes of Asia and Africa accent the white bedrooms. There are several corners to relax in, from the b'hou off the courtyard, to the upstairs loggia or the tent on the roof terrace with a view of nearby palms. Where possible, we endeavour to be eco-friendly and provide sustainable services and accommodation. The riad is a few minutes stroll from fine restaurants and the hurley-burly of the tourist trail that leads to nearby monuments and through the colourful souks to Djemma el Fna square with its musicians, acrobats and snake-charmers.
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 12 March 2011 - 12 March 2012 | €320 | 2 | ||
| 21 December 2011 - 4 January 2012 | €380 | 4 |
Notes on prices
Price per night in UK pounds. We give discounts on five nights or over. We can also let the riad on a room by room basis in any combination. Please contact for website for a quote. The riad can be let for any length of time, subject to availability.
Changeover day
We are totally flexible.
Notes on accommodation
The riad can be rented on a room-by room basis, or as a whole. For parties or a special occasion we can liaise with neighbouring riads and secure additional accommodation on your behalf if the group is more than 10/11. Breakfast is included in the price. Three course dinners can be provided by arrangement for a reasonable charge. Dietary requirements will be catered for. The air-conditioning is reversible for both summer and winter months. Heaters are available in the rooms of the courtyard. Whilst children are welcomed, parents must take responsibility for young children and damages will be charged for. Parents must also take full responsibility and keep a watchful eye on their children by the plunge pool. We can provide a cot and babysitting at a small charge. Our manager can help makes reservations, organize day trips and collection from the airport.
Accessibility
Whilst rooms off the courtyard offer easy access to wheelchairs, please aware that Morocco has few disabled facilities. Please contact the owner for more information.
Outside
The roof terrace has three teak sunbeds, tables, chairs and a tent with low seating. The plunge pool is 3x2 metres and 80cm deep with two steps/seats on either side, 40cm deep. It is available to all guests.
Coast/Beach
The nearest beach is at Essaouira, a town with Portuguese origins. It is about 160km from Marrakech and about 3 hours drive.
Golf
Golf is big draw card to Marrakech, and the three most famous courses, all with a dramatic backdrop of the Atlas on clear winter days, are about 15 minutes drive from the riad. Pacha El Glaoui constructed le Golf Royal de Marrakech in 1924. His Majesty Hassan II, Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Eisenhower have played here. The fairways are cloaked in olives, cypresses, eucalyptus and cedars and orange trees. Opened in 1993, the Palmeraie Golf Club was designed by internationally renowned Robert Trent Jones, and set in an oasis around seven lakes. It is a championship course, and venue for the LPGA European tour.
The newest of Marrakech’s courses is the Golf d’Amelki. Created in the desert, it is perhaps the most dramatic. Modelled around several of the khettaras built in the twelfth century to collect rainwater and pipe it to the medina, it is planted with palms and papyrus.
Special interest holidays
Road Porte Royale can organize cookery courses for our guests, and day trips or overnight trekking in the Atlas.
Travel
Marrakech Menara airport is 15 minutes from the riad. We can arrange 24 hour secure parking if you are arriving by car.
Distances
Most sights in the Atlas or the Ourika Valley are about an hour's drive away.
Further details
Marrakech has a very cosmopolitan selection of restaurants inside and outside the medina. Apart from the souks, there are some interesting designer shops and galleries in Guéliz the new town, with its French-style boulevard cafés and avenues. ATMs are freely available for withdrawing cash.
Booking notes
We normally ask a 25% deposit for booking the whole riad. The balance can be paid before departure or on arrival in sterling, euros, or dirhams. We take Visa/Mastercard, but charge a 4% surcharge for this service to help defray bank charges.
Guest comments
Riad Porte Royale was selected by the 2009/10 Footprint Handbook to Morocco.
Guest Comments:
First, let me say that the Riad was wonderful and beautiful. There are no words to express how grateful we are for Mohamed and Hajiba. They are such lovely people, you are so lucky to have such kind people in your life and taking care of your guests and your Riad. It was difficult to leave. Thank you and many thanks to them.
B.A. (and Friends) USA 2011
Just to let you know, we made it back to the UK. We had a lovely time in Marrakech, thank you so much for looking after us! I will definitely be recommending your beautiful riad to my friends and I hope we will be able to visit again in the future!
Kate & James UK 2011
'I love this Riad, I've been before on other trips and I'll be back again. Just back from a trip with my parents. My parents needed a break away and a treat and the first place that I thought of was Riad Porte Royale. My parents were not disappointed. The place oozes
Owner profile
About the owner
I am British and live with my Portuguese wife and two children. I have taught architecture at universities in Iberia and in the the Middle East. I now work freelance and have written travel articles and published a novel.
Year purchased: 2004
Why the owner chose a guest house in this location
Our passion for North Africa and Islamic art and architecture prompted us to buy a tumbled down riad, or courtyard house, in the old medina of Marrakech, which we renovated as a family home. It is now staffed, and as our trips are limited by work and school holidays, we rent it out—and hope it will be good introduction to the rich heritage and culture of Morocco, as well the buzz of cosmopolitan Marrakech outside its door.
The riad is just two minutes from the old city walls, in a natural, laid back and authentic residential quarter of the medina just on the fringe of the tourist spots, an area favoured by well-known families, and centred around the beautiful shrine of the city's patron saint, Sid Bel Abbes.
Unique benefits of the property
The riad is traditionally furnished, with lots of places to lounge around in, and a small plunge pool for the hot months. In 2009 a travel guide rated it as one of the six most relaxing riads in Morocco. It is also near various famous restaurants, and just a few minutes from the new town Gueliz, outside the medina walls. We can organize trips further afield—to the Atlas mountains, Essaouira on the coast, or south to the desert.
For booking and further information
Property Ref MR51
Philip Brebner
Tel: (Portugal) + 351 226 174 701
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This advertiser joined Owners Direct in February 2007,
and has advertised this property with us since March 2009.
Property Ref MR51
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